7 Things About Knee Replacement Surgery Every Patient Should Know.

The rising trend of orthopedic surgeons has taken surgical science by storm. Good knees are an essential part of a healthy and active lifestyle and it is no secret that patients suffering from knee problems want to know the recipe of good and strong knees. However, when the common phenomenon of arthritis occurs, your ability to flex your knees and follow common rhythms of movement gets restrained. You find yourself unable to do the common day to day tasks that previously crowded your schedule, and even if you manage to muster up your strength to make use of your knees you are unable to do so without life becoming more difficult and painful for you. According to research, approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis. Out of these statistics, nearly 40 million people in the United States are affected by arthritis with over a quarter million children suffering from the same.About 90 percent of patients experiencing knee problems or arthritis of a severe kind, particularly known as osteoarthritis, opt for knee replacement surgery options to provide themselves significant relief from pain. Before going to your orthopedic surgeon for a knee replacement surgery, there are some basic fundamental things that you familiarize yourself with.

What type of knee replacement surgery do you need?

There are two different types of knee replacement surgeries that exist: total and partial. It is important to find out which one is necessary for you.

What is Total Knee Replacement?

First and foremost, you need to know whether you are asking your surgeon to assist you with a Total Knee Replacement Surgery (TKR) or a partial one. Total Knee Replacement takes up about 90 percent of all knee replacement procedures that happen. In a Total Knee Replacement surgery, the surgeon repairs your knee joint by covering the thighbone with a metal covering. The shinbone, on the other hand, is encased in plastic. In order to further reduce pain and increase the performance of your joint, the surgeon may also sometimes fully work on your kneecap replacing it on the undersurface with a plastic surface. This procedure may also involve some removal of the bone and cartilage. You should expect up to at least 3 to 5 days at the hospital after your TKR surgery, after which different therapies and exercises will be introduced to your leg to check for recovery in your daily activities.

What is Partial Knee Replacement?

In a partial knee replacement, your surgeon will only replace the part of your knee that’s damaged and is causing you pain. Your surgeon will not work on your entire knee. Patients undergoing Partial Knee Replacement surgery tend to experience faster recovery as compared to those who undergo TKR.

Risk, Complications, and Considerations?

Although with the increasing advancements in top notch technology and IT, knee replacement surgeries today have become very safe, very few patients still tend to experience complications. Before finding out the right surgeon for yourself, you need to fully grasp their probability of occurring. Infections, blood clots, problems with implants, etc are most types of common surgical complications that patients experience even after they have undergone surgery.

Discuss with your surgeon

Discuss the benefits and risks of TKR or partial knee replacement with your surgeon thoroughly before you’re bent on making any decision about a procedure that you need.

Evaluate it all

You may also want to follow through other considerations, such as the financial cost of surgery, follow-up care etc that might be needed once you opt for knee replacement.

Will you be able to resume your regular activities again?

Determining whether you’ll be able to resume your day to day chores without any hindrance caused by further problems that may occur after your knee replacement surgery, is of utmost concern.

Everybody opting for the best knee replacement surgery from their orthopedic surgeon wants to participate in normal human activities such as walking, cycling, golf, swimming once again. When opting for a knee replacement surgery, you must assess everything discussed above from top to bottom and make sure that your decision to take the path to knee replacement only adds to the quality of your life by improving it, not worsening it.